


The Ground Beneath My Feet is Open Wide

by 4thofFive



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-07 02:46:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1114565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4thofFive/pseuds/4thofFive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny discovers a shocking secret that could destroy Steve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song The Story of My Life by One Direction.
> 
>  
> 
> Never have I had so much trouble writing a story. Even with Simplyn2deep's good advice it still took me a couple of months to finish it. But here it is. I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Thanks you Simplyn2deep. I didn't quite finish it as you suggested but I hope it's ok.

 

Steve opened the door to Danny’s office and walked in to drop the papers he was holding on his partner’s desk.

 

 

“All signed?” Danny asked as he picked up the sheaf of papers and tapped their edges on the desk to straighten them.

 

 

“Yeah,” Steve blew out a tired breath and collapsed dramatically in one of the desk chairs. “Jesus I thought the Navy had a lot of paperwork. You know I can run around for two days and nights chasing bad guys with nary a rest, but three hours of paperwork exhausts me.”

 

 

Danny smirked at the taller man. “Nary Steven?”

 

 

Steve grinned happily and Danny felt his stomach tighten. He loved Steve’s happy and relaxed smile most of all.

 

 

“Yeah nary. I thought you’d enjoy that. I’m trying to improve my vocabulary Danno.”

 

 

Danny shook his head as he finished stapling two forms together and stuffing them in a file folder.

 

 

“I’ll do the fancy words babe you just stick to the pre-verbal caveman grunts ok? It’s our thing.”

 

 

Steve raised one eyebrow.

 

 

“We have a thing?”

 

 

Danny swallowed hard and laughed a bit too loudly.

 

 

“Sure. The thing where you try to get me killed and I bitch you out with big words.”

 

 

Danny turned his chair away from Steve and pretended to search for something in the cabinet behind him. He hoped his partner hadn’t seen the flush that spread across his cheeks.

 

 

“Oh yeah,” Steve replied softly, his eyes gliding up and down Danny’s muscular back. “I like that thing.”

 

 

Danny took a deep breath and turned back around. He grabbed his keys from his desk and stood.

 

 

“Well I’ve got that deposition across town so I guess I should...” He gestured pointlessly towards the door.

 

 

Steve stood as well.

 

 

“OK but what about after work? Want to come over for beer and steak?”

 

 

Danny considered saying no at first. He was finding it increasingly difficult to hide his feelings for Steve and being in close proximity to the man while sitting side-by-side on a beach while the trade winds ruffled the taller man’s hair would not help. Then he remembered Catherine would be there and they wouldn’t be alone together. That would kill any romantic ideas Danny might have been tempted to indulge in.

 

 

“Sure babe, that sounds nice.”

 

 

Steve grinned again and opened Danny’s office door allowing his partner to walk out first. As if by magic Catherine appeared in front of them. She seemed to be doing that a lot when he and Steve spent any time alone together but Danny supposed that now that she was living with Steve and working for 5-0, it was inevitable.

 

 

“Hey, I just invited Danny for dinner tonight,” Steve announced happily to his girlfriend.

 

 

Catherine gave Danny a regretful look before returning her attention to Steve.

 

 

“Oh I’m sorry honey but remember my friend Marci is in town. I promised her we’d go meet up with her and her husband after work.”

 

 

Steve’s face fell.

 

 

“Oh is that tonight? I thought it was tomorrow.”

 

Steve turned to apologize to his partner when his words were cut off by a slightly red-faced Danny waving a dismissive hand at him.

 

 

“Hey, it’s no big deal. Some other time ok?” the detective forced himself to smile at the couple. “I should go to my meeting. I’ll see you later.”

 

 

Steve pressed his lips together and nodded glancing over at Catherine before dropping his eyes to the floor.

 

 

As Danny turned to leave Catherine stopped him with a hand on his bicep.

 

 

“Actually Danny are you going downtown? Could I get a ride? I need to go to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to see Marci for a minute and Steve needs the truck to visit the Governor.”

 

 

“I told you we should take separate vehicles,” Steve grumbled under his breath.

 

 

Catherine turned a decidedly frozen looking smile on her boyfriend.

 

 

“I told you that doesn’t make sense Steve. We live in the same house and work in the same office. Why should we take separate cars?”

 

 

Steve opened his mouth to respond but Danny interrupted trying to stave off an argument.

 

 

“Sure Cath I’ll take you. No problem.”

 

 

The beautiful woman smiled brightly at him then turned to Steve lifting up on her toes to give him a quick peck on the lips.

 

 

“See you in a little while sweetie ok? I’ll call when I need to be picked up.”

 

 

Steve sighed softly and nodded. Catherine frequently forgot his request that they not use pet names for each other or have public displays of affection at work.

 

 

“Yeah, ok. See you.”

 

 

Steve looked over at Danny and held his eyes for a moment before looking away.

 

 

“See you later Danno.”

 

 

**********

 

 

Catherine rolled down the passenger side window of the Camaro and let the breeze toss her long brunette hair.  Danny glanced over at her. She was one of those women who seemed effortlessly beautiful. Smart, athletic, funny; she was the perfect person for Steve. He looked away.

 

 

“I’m really sorry about tonight,” Catherine spoke finally, shifting in her seat to regard Danny. “I know I keep Steve pretty busy. Maybe on the weekend we can have the whole team over for a barbeque?”

 

 

Danny gave her a weak smile as he turned onto Kalakua Avenue and headed towards the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

 

 

“Sure, we’ll see. It depends what Grace wants to do.”

 

 

“Grace loves spending time with her Uncle Steve and Aunt Catherine. She’s always talking about someday when we get married and could she be a flower girl. It’s so cute.”

 

 

Danny looked out his side window for a moment before turning his attention back to the traffic in front of him. Sometimes he wondered if Catherine said these things just to dig at him. But she’d never given any hint that she saw how Danny felt about Steve.

 

 

“Well, I’ll talk to her.”

 

 

Danny pulled up in front of the main entrance of the Royal Hawaiian. Cath opened her door and climbed out of the Camaro then bent down to give him a warm smile.

 

 

“Thanks Danny. Let us know about Saturday. Steve and I would love to have you come over to our house.”

 

 

Danny nodded and Cath slammed the door turning to jog up the hotel steps. He watched her for a moment and noticed every other man turning their heads to watch her too.

 

 

Danny blew out a breathm put the car into gear and drove away from the hotel. Just before he turned out of the parking lot he glanced in the rear view mirror and stiffened when he saw Catherine jogging down the hotel steps and walking quickly away from the building. What the hell? Wasn’t she supposed to be seeing her friend?

 

 

Danny glanced around to make sure the traffic was clear then made a quick left on Kalakua to follow her. She was striding purposefully like she knew where she was going and that piqued his interest. Danny wasn’t a detective for nothing.

 

 

About two blocks down the street, Catherine entered a small restaurant and disappeared from view. Danny pulled into a nearby no stopping zone and put a police business sign on his dashboard then climbed out of the car. The detective jogged quickly across the street and huddled against the building. He carefully leaned over to look through the restaurant’s front windows. He noticed Catherine sitting at a table about half way into the restaurant with a woman who had her back to Danny.

 

 

The blonde man felt guilty immediately. Maybe Catherine’s friend Marci had left a message with the hotel’s front desk asking Cath to meet her at the restaurant. He shook his head in disgust with himself. About to turn away, Danny glanced through the window again when Catherine’s friend stood up and turned around, now facing in Danny’s direction. The detective jerked his head back in shock. Catherine’s dining companion was Doris McGarrett.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve glanced over at a strangely and disturbingly quiet Danny. The two had been in the car for 15 minutes headed to the North Shore to interview a witness and Danny had barely said two words since they left the office. For Danny not to chatter, bitch or generally bemoan the state of his life while in the car was unheard of and frankly, it scared the shit out of Steve. 

 

Steve cleared his throat and nervously glanced at the blonde man before turning his attention back to the road.

 

“Everything ok Danno?”

 

With his peripheral vision Steve could see Danny turn and glare at him.

 

“Why yes Steven, everything is just fine. Why would you think everything is not ok?”

 

Steve scrunched his face in confusion as he looked over at his partner once again.

 

“I was just...you seem oddly quiet today that’s all.”

 

Danny let out a pained sigh then turned slightly in his seat so that he could watch his partner’s face closely.

 

“Steve, do you trust me?”

 

Steve’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he stared openly at Danny. 

 

“What? What kind of a question is that?” the taller man demanded.

 

“Watch the road please!” Danny barked as he waved at the window. Steve turned his attention back to the highway. 

 

“Danny, why are you asking me that? Of course I trust you.”

 

Danny folded his arms on his chest and narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired man.

 

“There’s nothing you’ve neglected to tell me? Maybe some family thing? Maybe you’ve kept the information from me to protect me or some stupid thing like that?”

 

Steve huffed in annoyance and pulled the car over to the side of the highway with a screech of tires. He slammed the car into first and turned off the ignition before turning to glare at Danny.

 

“Daniel, I have no idea what you’re talking about ok? I’m not keeping anything from you. No family secrets – nothing. I tell you everything ok? Unless it’s classified but I haven’t been on a classified mission for four years!”

 

Danny stared at Steve’s face for a moment. The taller man might have been a genius in Naval Intelligence but he’d never been able to lie to Danny. The detective felt his heart sink and he had to look away. If Steve was telling him the truth, and Danny believed he was, that meant his partner had no idea his mother was in town or that Catherine was meeting with her.

 

“Well Danny?” the Commander demanded. “Want to tell me what the hell has got you so worked up?”

 

Danny rubbed a hand over his mouth for a moment. Despite his talk about trust, Danny couldn’t tell Steve his secret just yet. He had to know why Catherine and Doris were meeting and keeping it from Steve. The information could crush Steve and Danny needed to be sure he had all the facts. He gave his partner what he hoped was a sheepish smile.

 

“I’m sorry babe I...” Danny shrugged, both hands turned palms up. “I heard a rumour that you and Cath got engaged and I was upset that you didn’t tell me.”

 

Steve barked a short, incredulous laugh.

 

“Catherine and I are not engaged. We’re not...I don’t...” Steve turned away to stare at something in the distance. “Our relationship isn’t at that place ok?” He finished softly.

 

Despite his worry about what Catherine and Doris were up to, Danny couldn’t help feeling a wave of relief that Steve and Catherine’s relationship wasn’t as entrenched as he’d feared.

 

“OK babe. I’m sorry alright? Serves me right for listening to idle gossip.”

 

Steve nodded and turned back to start the ignition on the car while Danny twisted around again to stare out the passenger side window. He knew he’d have to tell Steve about his mom and Catherine soon but first he needed to know what was going on before he dropped this bomb on his best friend.

 

**********

 

Danny pulled the baseball cap lower over his face and took a sip from the glass of iced tea in front of him. He was seated in the open-air patio of a small cafe across the street from the condo building that Doris McGarrett was living in. He’d already checked that she was at home by paying a bicycle courier $50 to knock on her door pretending to be delivering the package to the wrong address. Danny had no way of knowing if Steve’s mother would come out today but it seemed likely. Most people living in or visiting Hawaii didn’t spend all day inside.

 

Using all of his resources, Danny had done as much investigating into Mrs. McGarrett as he could without arousing suspicion. He knew she was renting the condo on a short-term lease from its mainland owners and she was going by the name of Nancy McCauley. A quick check with a contact at the TSA at Honolulu International Airport showed she arrived on the island five days ago. For all intents and purposes she looked like a single woman on holiday but Danny knew better. She was obviously on a mission with the CIA – a mission Catherine knew about.

 

Danny straightened up when Doris strode out of the building wearing sunglasses and a large hat. She looked up and down Seaside Avenue, probably checking for anything out of the ordinary, before turning right and walking briskly towards the Ala Wai Canal.

 

After a moment, Danny stood up, left a five dollar bill on the table and began to follow her from the other side of the street. He couldn’t afford to get too close; she was a highly trained agent and would be on the lookout for anyone tailing her. Fortunately Doris was much taller than the average woman and her floppy sun hat was easy to spot. 

 

Keeping almost a block between them, Danny followed the older woman for at least 10 minutes before she entered into a small Japanese restaurant on Ala Wai Boulevard. Danny felt his stomach churn. The restaurant was a suspected front for the Yakuza. Since Wo Fat had been the head of the Yakuza, and the CIA had been working with him to organize arms deals, it seemed only logical that they would continue to work with the Yakuza, even with Wo Fat captured.

 

Danny slumped against a nearby wall. He knew he should go to Steve with what he’d found but on the other hand, he feared that his partner, learning of the deception of both his mother and his girlfriend, would go off half-cocked. Steve may have been a highly trained SEAL but he was also a human being with human emotions – try as he might to suppress them. No, Danny needed to know more about what Mrs. McGarrett was up to, and why Catherine was involved, before he presented his findings to his friend.

 

**********

 

Danny watched as Steve and Chin left the office to follow up a lead on their latest case. Danny had begged off accompanying his partner saying he wanted to keep looking over the financials of one of their suspects. It wasn’t a lie exactly. He was looking over the financials, but he was also hoping to find out more about the Doris McGarrett situation, and he needed help doing that.

 

Danny took in a deep breath and stood up from behind his desk and walked out of his office towards Kono’s. He was taking a big risk bringing the young officer into this investigation but he needed the kind of technical help only she could provide. He’d considered at first asking Chin but the older man was dedicated to Steve, so grateful to the SEAL for helping him get his badge back that Danny didn’t want to put him in the position of keeping secrets from the 5-0 chief. Kono, having dated Adam Noshimuri, understood the need to sometimes keep information from those you loved in order to protect them.

 

He rapped his knuckles on the open door to Kono’s office and felt his nerves grow as he saw her smile up at him so open and trusting.

 

“Hey,” he said softly. “Can I speak to you for a moment?”

 

Kono’s smile faltered briefly. It was obvious she knew something was up.

 

“Yes of course. Have a seat. Is everything ok?”

 

Danny gave her a weak smile as he perched on the edge of one of her office chairs and flattened his hands between his knees.

 

“Kono I...I need to ask you a favour and it’s kind of an awkward situation.” He licked his lips nervously as looked up at her. “I need your help with something but, at least for a little while, I need you not to tell Steve about it.”

 

The young woman chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip and twirled a pen distractedly in her hand.

 

“I don’t like keeping secrets from Steve, Danny,” the young woman replied cautiously. 

 

Danny nodded quickly.

 

“I know. I don’t like it either. It’s a shitty thing to do but I have my reasons, you have to believe me.”

 

“What reasons?”

 

Danny shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

 

“I’m sorry but I need your word that you’ll keep it quiet before I can tell you anything.”

 

The beautiful Hawaiian officer regarded Danny carefully for a long moment. Finally she sighed in defeat.

 

“OK, I don’t like it but I promise not to mention anything until you tell me or until I think lives are being endangered.”

 

Danny let out a relieved breath and sat back slightly in the chair.

 

“OK...I don’t exactly know how to say this but Doris McGarrett is back in town and Catherine has been meeting with her.”

 

Kono’s mouth dropped open in shock as the pen she had been fidgeting with fell to her desk top.

 

“What? When? Why wouldn’t Steve tell us?”

 

“I don’t think he knows. I think the two women have been meeting in secret without his knowledge.”

 

“But why? What would they be meeting about and why wouldn’t Cath tell Steve about it?”

 

Danny leaned forward resting his forearms on his knees.

 

“That’s what I need to find out. Doris is subletting a condo downtown. I need a way to put a listening device into the apartment. Maybe we’ll be able to figure out what she’s up to and why Cath is involved.”

 

Kono sank back in her chair and shook her head sadly.

 

“This could destroy Steve.”

 

Danny released a shaky sigh.

 

“I know. That’s why I want to be sure of what’s going on before I tell him.”

 

*********

 

Kono giggled and tossed her hair as she reached over and ran her index finger lightly over one of the buttons on the security guard’s shirt.

 

She and Danny had been picking the lock to Doris McGarrett’s condo when the elevator binged announcing its arrival. As the doors began to open Kono pushed Danny, clutching the miniature cameras he was going to plant, into the now open apartment door and slammed it behind him. She stayed in the hallway with a confused, empty-headed look on her face.

 

The 20-something guard was a bit on the chubby side and had a light dusting of acne across his cheeks. He stopped dead in the hallway and his mouth dropped open when he saw the beautiful Hawaiian woman.

 

“Um...what are you...? Are you supposed to be here?”

 

Kono looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

 

“I’m looking for my friend’s apartment but I can’t remember the number.” She giggled into her hand. “I’m like, usually not this dumb.”

 

The guard swallowed thickly as Kono ran the fingers of one hand through her long, brunette hair. She tipped her head and smiled at him.

 

“I bet you know everyone who lives in this building. You look like the type of cop who keeps on top of things.”

 

The young guard cleared his throat and blushed.

 

“Oh, I’m not a cop. I’m just a security guard.”

 

“Just a security guard,” Kono purred. “That’s a really important job.” She took a step closer to him. “You must be very brave. I wouldn’t be brave enough to do a job like that.”

 

The guard blushed fiercely and grinned.

 

“I plan to join the real cops someday,” he boasted. “I’ve been told I’ve got what it takes to really go far.”

 

Kono gave him a small, secret smile.

 

“I’m sure you will,” she replied huskily.

 

The young guard stared at her for a moment before straightening up as if remembering he was supposed to be on duty.

 

“What’s ah...what’s your friend’s name?”

 

Kono ran the tip of her tongue over her top lip then smiled brightly, her eyes never leaving his face. He looked like a deer in the headlights and she felt a bit sorry for manipulating him.

 

“Cindy, Cindy Kapahu.”

 

The guard’s face scrunched as he pondered the name.

 

“I don’t know anyone by that name who lives here.”

 

Kono pushed out her bottom lip in a slight pout.

 

“But that can’t be. She told me she lives on the ninth floor of the Sunset Towers.”

 

“This is the Sunrise Towers ma’am.”

 

“Oh my God,” Kono trilled as she slapped her hands over her face. “I’m so embarrassed. You must think I’m such a goof.”

 

Kono giggled and tossed her hair as she reached over and ran her index finger lightly over one of the buttons on the security guard’s shirt.

 

“I’m sorry I hope I didn’t cause a major security incident or anything.”

 

The guard smiled self importantly and pulled up his shorts which were being pushed down by the overloaded utility belt he was wearing.

 

“No problem Ma’am. It’s all part of the job. Now I should escort you to the front door.”

 

“Ooh,” Kono gave a dramatic shiver, “Sounds so official!” She linked an arm through his and began gently tugging him down the hallway towards the elevator. “So have you ever faced any real dangerous situations?”

 

**********

Danny jogged down the back alley behind the condominium then turned the corner spying the Camaro half-way down the block with Kono sitting behind the wheel. He opened the passenger door and climbed in as she started the engine.

 

“You get everything set up?” Kono asked as she shoulder checked and pulled the car out onto the road.

 

“Yeah I planted two of the cameras in the living room and another in the kitchen. There was no way I was going to put one in the bedroom. Watching Steve’s mom getting dressed is not an image I need in my mind.”

 

Kono smirked as she stopped at the red light.

 

“I have a feeling you’d never make it in the CIA Danny.”

 

“Damned straight. I leave that kind of lying, manipulative shit to Doris McGarrett.”

 

“And Catherine Rollins?” Kono asked sadly.

 

Danny stared at her for a moment then turned away.

 

“I hope not.”

 

The two sat quietly for a moment as Kono steered the car through the heavy afternoon traffic.

 

“I’m thinking we could set up the video feed at my house,” she offered. “That way when Steve comes to visit you we won’t run the risk of him seeing anything on your laptop.”

 

Danny gave a small shrug.

 

“I don’t think that will be a problem. He doesn’t come to visit too much anymore.”

 

Kono gave her friend a sympathetic glance. It didn’t take a CIA agent to see that Danny was in love with Steve. And unless Kono was a terrible judge of character – and she was not – she believed Steve also loved Danny. Why the two men couldn’t admit their feelings for each other she couldn’t understand. Maybe the combination of being two tough alpha males mixed with their history of working for traditionally homophobic organizations made that an intimidating prospect for both of them. And now that Cath had moved in with Steve and was working on the team, the chances of the truth coming out were almost zero


	3. Chapter 3

As he had done every night for the past few days, Danny sat down in front of his laptop with his headphones on. Obviously he couldn’t sit and watch the camera feed constantly so he recorded it to playback later. Much of what he saw was Doris McGarrett coming and going from her sub-let condo, reading or watching TV or talking on the phone. The phone was not tapped. The technical equipment at Five-0 was strictly monitored by Chin and he would have noticed anything missing. The mini cameras they’d installed were owned by Kono and what she used them for Danny did not want to know.

 

 

Listening to one side of Doris’s phone calls Danny was convinced she was organizing a large shipment of something off the islands. Danny assumed it was guns since that’s what Wo Fat had been helping the CIA with before he was captured and jailed.

 

 

Tonight, after three long days, Catherine finally appeared on the feed. It looked to be afternoon when she came to visit Doris so Danny assumed it was today during the time Cath had supposedly been off having an interview with the Prosecuting Attorney. Danny shook his head in disgust. What kind of game was she playing that she had to lie to Steve so frequently?

 

 

Doris and Cath moved into the camera’s view and sat down on the two chairs in front of the fireplace – the fireplace where Danny had hidden the camera in a silk plant arrangement.

 

 

_“Were you able to get away ok?”_

_“Yes. I told Steve I had a meeting. I didn’t mention how long I’d be gone.”_

_“How is my boy?”_

_“He’s fine; still looking for you though.”_

_“He won’t find me until I want to be found. I’m too good at this.”_

_“Yeah, I guess.”_

_“What’s wrong Catherine?”_

_“Nothing I...I hate lying to him.”_

_“You’ve been doing it for years.”_

_“I know but not to this extent. Before I was just watching over him, maybe feeding a few tidbits of information to the agency, not living with him, working with him and skulking around behind his back.”_

_“What we’re doing is important Catherine. Steve would never understand that but you do.”_

 

Danny watched as Catherine seemed to shrink back into the couch and shake her head.

 

 

_“I can’t help feeling that this is going to come back and bite us on the ass. Every time we get involved in anther country’s affairs and sell them weapons they turn around a few years later and try to kill us with those same weapons.”_

 

Doris McGarrett reached over and laid a comforting hand on the younger woman’s arm.

 

 

_“Catherine you can’t do this job if you’re going to question every decision. You know what we’re doing is for the greater good._

 

Catherine sighed in frustration.

 

 

_“I don’t want to have this conversation again. Just tell me what you want me to do.”_

_“The same thing we’ve always asked you to do. Keep Steve occupied. Keep his attention diverted so we can get this deal done and get out of here. Warn us if you think he’s onto what we’re doing.”_

_“But I still stay?”_

_“Of course. Don’t you think my son will be a bit confused if you suddenly pack up and walk out of his life? Besides, as the head of 5-0 he has access to important information. He’s a valuable resource to us. And now with you working with him, it’s the best thing we could hope for.”_

_“You know you’re talking about your son right? He’s your flesh and blood, not a target to be used.”_

 

Danny could see Mrs. McGarrett give the other woman a cold smile.

 

 

_“You know I love my son Catherine but everyone is a potential target. When it comes to protecting this country from its enemies, there are no lengths I won’t go to – as long as I don’t put my son in danger.”_

 

Catherine stared at the old woman for a moment, her head slowly shaking back and forth.

 

 

_“Steve has already had so much pain in his life. It doesn’t seem to bother you to cause him more.”_

 

Doris gave Catherine a hearty slap on the knee.

 

 

_“I’m trying to spare Steve any pain by neutralizing our enemies so he doesn’t have to be reactivated to fight them himself. Besides, you’re there to help him through his pain.”_

 

Catherine snorted and looked away.

 

 

_“I’m not sure I’m the person he wants helping him.”_

_“What do you mean? He loves you.”_

 

Catherine stood up and began pacing the room moving in and out of the camera frame.

 

_“He loves me but maybe not as much as he once did. I think there maybe someone else he wants more.”_

 

 _“Danny,”_ Doris replied flatly.

 

 

Danny jerked upright at that and with a shaking finger paused the feed and stared at the screen in shock. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. Did he just hear that? He hurriedly rewound the feed as if checking that it wasn’t his imagination.

 

 

_“...someone else he wants more.”_

_“Danny.”_

 

Danny stopped the recording again. Holy fuck! Was it true? Did Steve really want him? Danny had never allowed himself to think that way. Never allowed himself to hope. Only his dreams let his mind reveal its deepest desires. He pushed the play button again as he tried to regulate his breathing.

 

 

 _“I think so,”_ Cath carried on. _“I see them together. I see Steve staring at him when he thinks no one is looking. Steve has never looked at me like that.”_

 

Doris stood up from the couch and intercepted Catherine’s pacing. She put both hands on the younger woman’s shoulders.

 

 

_“I agree this is a circumstance we hadn’t planned for but Steve’s feelings for Danny could be just a passing fancy. We all know you’re the right person for him and I’m sure he does too.”_

 

Catherine shook her head but Doris would not be interrupted.

 

 

_“In any case, we need you to stick with him. You’ve done a wonderful job insinuating yourself into the fabric of Steve’s life. If it looks like Danny could become a problem we’ll deal with him...”_

 

Catherine’s eyes widened in horror at that

 

 

_. “But...”_

Doris chuckled a touch condescendingly.

 

 

_“Oh don’t worry. We won’t kill him. We’ll just find a way to get him off Hawaii for a good long while.”_

 

Catherine sighed and Danny watched her shoulders slump.

 

 

_“I hate this. I wish I’d never said yes to that CIA recruiter – especially if I’d known my assignment would be Steve.”_

 

Doris wrapped her arms around the younger woman and pulled her tight against her chest. Catherine held herself stiff and unresponsive.

 

 

_“I know it’s hard, dear. Look at how I had to sacrifice my family for my country. But just remember, you care about Steve and he cares about you. You’re a good couple. If you end up marrying and having children well, all the better for both of you.”_

 

Catherine snorted again but didn’t respond. After a moment Doris released her and led her gently towards the front door. Danny couldn’t see them anymore but he heard Doris trying to encourage the younger woman.

 

 

Danny heard the door shut then watched as Doris McGarrett walked back into the camera frame and picked up her cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for it to be picked up.

 

 

_“It’s me. We’d better get this show on the road I think Rollins could become a problem.”_

 

Doris waited while she listened to the person on the other end of the phone.

 

 

_“We’ll have to go with what we have. We need to move up the day to Thursday. It’s too dangerous otherwise.”_

 

Doris paused and listened once again.

 

 

_“No, don’t worry about that. She won’t betray us but she might decide to run away and that will make my son start looking for her which means he could stumble across what we’re doing. Let’s just get this project done and get off this island. I’ll see you tomorrow at the usual place and time.”_

 

Doris disconnected the call and returned to the couch. She picked up the novel she’d been reading and made herself comfortable. After watching her for a few more minutes to be sure she had nothing else planned, Danny paused the feed once again and picked up his own phone and dialled Kono’s number.

 

 

“Hey Danny.  What’s up? Anything new?”

 

 

“Are you alone?”

 

 

“Yes. What’s happening?”

 

 

Danny took a moment to explain the background he’d learned about Cath including that she had worked for the Navy and the CIA at the same time and that she’d apparently been assigned to Steve years ago. It took a while to calm Kono down from her threats to kill Catherine enough to discuss the most pressing matter.

 

 

“Whatever Doris and Catherine have been working on is going to go down on Thursday. Doris has mentioned “the shipment” a few times in her phone calls but I don’t know if she’s talking about shipping by air or water. She has a meeting with someone involved tomorrow, I’m not sure where or when. We need to find a couple of people to follow her and report back.”

 

 

Kono paused in thought for a moment.

 

 

“I can get a couple of my cousins. They’re not working so they can help us out. They’re going to want money.”

 

 

“Tell them I’ll give them $100 each if they follow her from the condo to wherever she’s going. Tell them to be careful and to stay out of sight. If she spots them tell them they need to leave immediately. She’s a dangerous woman.”

 

 

“OK. I’ll call them right now. I’ll ask them to call in every few hours to let us know what she’s up to.”

 

 

Danny scratched a weary hand through his hair as he sank back into the couch.

 

 

“Thanks Kono.”

 

 

“What’s our next move?” the young officer asked.

 

 

Danny sighed heavily and took a moment before he responded.

 

 

“I need to talk to Steve but first I’m going to try and talk to Cath.”

 

 

“What?” Kono all but shrieked into the phone. “She’s working with them Danny. She’ll report your conversation right away.”

 

 

Danny nodded slowly.

 

 

“I know but I have to take the risk. From what I heard her tell Doris today she’s not enjoying this assignment and she’s feeling bad about deceiving Steve.”

 

 

Kono snorted in derision but said nothing.

 

 

“She cares about him Kono. Maybe if I talk to her she’ll tell us what’s going down and we can stop the shipment before it leaves the island.”

 

 

“And then what?” Kono replied, her voice dripping with cynicism. “She gets to carry on her life with Steve and her work with us like nothing happened?”

 

 

“No. She needs to come clean with Steve and leave the island permanently.”

 

 

“She should go to jail!” the younger woman snarled.

 

 

Danny stood up and walked over to the living room window of his house and stared out into the dark Hawaiian night.

 

 

“I know Kono and that may happen but I want to make this as easy on Steve as I can. When Steve finds out Catherine was planted with him by the CIA and that his mother was a party to it, it will devastate him. Sending Cath to jail might make it worse.”


	4. Chapter 4

Having lived with Steve for a few weeks when he was between houses, Danny knew Steve’s morning routine like that back of his hand. The SEAL was up and out of bed at 6 a.m. and swam or ran or both for an hour. At 6:10, Danny rang the doorbell to his partner’s house.

 

 

It took only a few minutes for Catherine to answer the door. She was still in her housecoat but she’d obviously been up for a while. Danny saw a cup of coffee and the newspaper spread out on the living room coffee table.

 

 

“Danny. Is something wrong? Why are you here so early?”

 

 

“Something is wrong Cath,” Danny replied quietly, “and I need to talk to you about it – without Steve overhearing.”

 

 

The dark-haired woman examined him worriedly for a moment then stood back and let him enter the house.

 

 

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

 

 

Danny shook his head as he perched down on the edge of Steve’s easy chair. Catherine resumed her seat on the couch and watched Danny intently.

 

 

The detective took a few moments to compose his thoughts before turning his attention to his partner’s girlfriend.

 

 

“Cath, I have to ask you...do you love Steve?”

 

 

Catherine drew her eyebrows together and gave him a disbelieving look. She laughed humourlessly.

 

 

“What? What kind of a question is that? Of course I do. I’m living here aren’t I? What is this about?”

 

 

Danny took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He fixed his gaze to hers.

 

 

“I know Cath. I know everything – the CIA, your assignment to watch Steve, Steve’s mom being in town.”

 

 

As Danny watched, Cath’s eyes widened slightly and she froze momentarily. To anyone who didn’t know her the changes might be imperceptible. But Danny did know her and he was a seasoned detective.

 

 

Catherine gave Danny an affronted look and stood up quickly and began to fold up the newspaper with shaking hands.

 

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Danny. None at all. Did you hit your head or something?”

 

 

“I have evidence Cath.”

 

 

The dark-haired woman scoffed. “Evidence? What evidence?”

 

 

Danny rubbed his palms on his thighs.

 

 

“I can’t tell you that right now but it exists and when Steve sees it he’s going to go ballistic.”

 

 

Catherine stood frozen, the badly folded newspaper crumpled in one hand.

 

 

“Why are you doing this?” she hissed. “Are you that desperate to get rid of me? Are you hoping to have Steve all to yourself? I know you want him and you can’t stand that I’m the one who has him.”

 

 

Danny sighed and climbed to his feet.

 

 

“I’m not doing this Cath. I’m not playing this game with you. I want you to tell me where this shipment is that you and Doris are handling. Then I want you to do the decent thing and tell Steve the truth.”

 

 

Catherine swallowed hard.

 

 

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about Danny and when Steve finds out what you’ve been accusing me of he _is_ going to go ballistic – on you!”

 

 

Danny crossed his arms tightly on his chest.

 

 

“Cath, if you love Steve you’ll end this now before you destroy him.”

 

“Catherine opened her mouth to say something then closed it with a snap.

 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered, her eyes glued to the floor.

 

 

Danny sighed and nodded slowly.

 

 

“I’m going to give you the day to think about this Cath. You need to consider the repercussions on Steve if I have to tell him that you’re with him because you’ve been assigned to him all of these years and that you and his mother are working together.”

 

 

Catherine looked up at him, her eyes blazing with anger.

 

 

“Aren’t you afraid that the moment you leave I’ll call the CIA and let them know you’re onto this mythical plan you’ve dreamed up in your head?”

 

 

“No, because deep down I think you want to do the right thing. You know this shipment, which I assume is guns, shouldn’t be taking place. And I think you’re sick of lying to and deceiving Steve. We can stop all of this in its tracks right now, today.”

 

 

Danny stared at the dark-haired woman for a moment before he spoke again.

 

 

“You have until 5 p.m. Cath. Call me and tell me the truth and tell me about this shipment or I expose you and Steve’s mom and we’ll let whatever happens, happen.”

 

 

Catherine looked up at him with glistening eyes.

 

 

“You’d do that to him?”

 

 

Danny licked his bottom lip nervously. Hurting Steve was the last thing he wanted to do but Catherine and Mrs. McGarrett couldn’t be allowed to get away with this any longer.

 

 

Danny stiffened when he heard the back door open. He glanced at the clock in concern. Steve was back early. He turned around as he partner entered the living room on his way to the stairs. The SEAL stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted Danny.

 

 

“Danny? What are you doing here?”

 

 

Danny glanced at Cath for a moment then back at Steve. He plastered a smile on his face.

 

 

“I came to bum breakfast from you Super SEAL. I figure you’ve endangered my life often enough that I should at least be given a free breakfast once in a while.”

 

 

Steve looked between Cath and Danny for a moment. Although they were both trying to look relaxed it was obvious that that something had happened between them.

 

 

“Yeah...ok Danno. Just give me a minute to shower and I’ll come down and whip something up.”

 

 

Danny put up a hand to stop him.

 

 

“Actually don’t bother. I got a better offer. Just before you came in I got a text from Grace. She wants me to come over and take her to breakfast before school so I’ll have to take a rain check.”

 

 

“Grace is up at 6:30 in the morning?” Steve asked doubtfully.

 

 

Danny shrugged as he moved to the door.

 

 

“She woke early I guess. I’m just pleased to spend the extra time with her.” Danny turned back to look at the couple letting his eyes rest for a longer moment on Cath.

 

 

“I’ll see you later at work.”

 

 

Danny left the house feeling Steve’s eyes watching him. He knew his partner wasn’t buying his excuse so Cath would be grilled. He only hoped she took the opportunity to tell him the truth.

 

 

Danny climbed into the car and pushed number 1 on his speed dial. He intended to get Grace out of bed and make her come to breakfast with him. There had been enough lying.

 

 

**********

 

“Want to tell me what that was about?” Steve asked a pale-faced Catherine as he followed her into the kitchen. He watched in concern as she poured herself a glass of water from the tap, a slight tremor in her hand.

 

Catherine took several sips of the water before turning to Steve and giving him a quizzical look.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You and Danny,” the SEAL replied gruffly. “Did you have an argument or something?”

 

Catherine scoffed as she moved past Steve and headed towards the staircase.

 

“Of course not, we were just chatting.”

 

Before she could take her first step up the stairs, Steve stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

 

“Cath, don’t act like nothing’s wrong. I know you and Danny too well. He shot out of here like a cannon ball and you’re pale and shaky. Now I want to know what happened between you two.”

 

Suddenly Catherine felt overwhelmed with rage. Everything was falling apart and she didn’t know how to stop it. If she were a more ruthless agent she would have just had Danny killed, but she knew that would destroy Steve, and Grace.

 

“You want to know what’s wrong?” she spat back, unable to keep her voice from rising. “Danny hates me. He always has…”

 

“Cath that’s not…”

 

Catherine shoved at Steve, unable to move the much larger and stronger man but causing him to drop his hand away from her arm.

 

“He’s jealous of me. He always has been. He wants you for himself.”

 

Catherine watched as Steve’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

 

“W-what?” he croaked.

 

“The two of you are so ridiculous. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling – certainly not me. You’re obviously in love with each other. I don’t know why you can’t just be honest about it Steve. You should just dump me and move on with your life with the person you really want.”

 

Steve’s face flushed with his own growing anger.

 

“Cath I don’t know where this is coming from. I’ve never said a word about being in love with Danny.”

 

“Oh please Steve,” she shouted now standing on one of the steps so she could look him in the eye. “He told me he wanted me to break up with you and leave the island. What does that say to you?”

 

“He what?”

 

“He wants you for himself. He hates me,” the dark-haired woman choked out, her eyes now brimming with tears.

 

Steve slowly shook his head in disbelief.

 

“I can’t believe that. Danny wouldn’t do that. He’s always liked you. He’s always been supportive of our relationship. Why would he do that?”

 

“You see!” she shouted, throwing her hands out to her side in frustration. “You can’t believe anything bad about Danny. You’ll go to work and he’ll tell you a bunch of lies about me and you’ll believe him because he’s Danny. You’ll choose him over me.”

 

“Cath that’s not true…”

 

The young woman turned and began stomping up the stairs.

 

“Oh just forget it Steve ok? Just leave it alone. If you want to keep up this charade that you aren’t in love with Danny, that’s fine but don’t expect me to play along anymore - especially not when he says such horrible things to me.”

 

Steve tightened his jaw in barely suppressed rage. What the fuck was going on around here? What did Danny say to Catherine? Was it possible Danny was trying to get rid of Catherine?

 

Steve ran shaking hands through his wet hair. The whole thing was crazy. Danny had always liked Cath and Steve found it hard to believe he’d be deliberately cruel to her. But something happened between the two this morning and Steve was determined to find out what that was.

 

**********

 

Danny wouldn’t admit it but he purposely avoided going to work in the morning. He’d called the office and when Chin answered – thank god – Danny told him he was out following up on a few leads for their latest case and would be gone most of the morning. Now it was almost noon and Danny had been starting to think about where to have lunch when his phone rang. He pulled into a nearby parking lot to answer.

 

“Detective Williams.”

 

“Danny, it’s Kono.”

 

“Hey. Is the boss looking for me?”

 

“Yes but that’s not why I called. I just got a call from my cousin Zulu. He’s one of the ones who has been following Doris McGarrett. Apparently she spotted him on her tail about 20 minutes ago and he high tailed it away from her as you instructed.”

 

“Where was the last place he saw her?”

 

“In the warehouse area on Cooke Street. She was in a cab. When she spotted him she apparently had the cab do a U-turn and she waved at him as she went by.”

 

“Shit,” Danny breathed. Doris now knew someone was onto her.

 

“What do you want to do now?” the young woman asked.

 

“I think we can assume that shipment is in the docks area. I’m betting Doris is going to warn them and they’ll start emptying the place out.”

 

“We need to tell Steve.”

 

Danny nodded to himself.

 

“Yeah but first let me try and get hold of Catherine. If she knows where the shipment is maybe I can convince her to tell me. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

 

“OK,  but if I don’t hear from you within an hour I’m coming to find you and I’m bringing Steve with me.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Danny used his key to the McGarrett home and opened the front door without being invited in. The place was quiet and Danny’s first thought was that Catherine had run out on Steve without leaving word.

Moving as softly as possible, Danny walked through the living room and into the kitchen where a very quiet, nervous-looking Cath sat at the kitchen table, her hands folded tightly on her lap. She looked up at Danny nervously and almost instinctively he rested his hand on the butt of the Glock holstered at his hip.

“Cath?” Danny asked carefully. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“She’s fine Danny,” Doris McGarrett responded to the question as she stepped into the kitchen from where she’d been hiding in the nearby pantry. She trained a gun on Danny’s mid-section.

Danny sighed regretfully and let his hand drop away from his gun. The last thing he wanted was bullets flying around wounding or killing Steve’s mom or girlfriend.

“Hello Doris. It’s been a while.”

Doris smiled as her gaze dropped to Danny’s gun.

“It has. I’d like to catch up but first would you give your gun to Catherine and then sit at the table?”

Danny hesitated briefly then pulled his weapon out of his holster and handed it butt first to Catherine. He sat in the chair beside her then turned away from her to face Doris who sat down at the table across from him.

“How have you been? How’s Grace?” Doris questioned as if they were two neighbours talking over the garden fence.

“She’s fine thank you,” Danny replied with mock politeness. “How are your children? Oh wait,” Danny replied waving his hands in front of him. “That’s right. You’re hiding from them so you wouldn’t know.”

“I keep track of my children’s lives Danny,” Doris replies acidly, “Just as I always have.”

Danny snorted in disgust.

“Well I already nominated you for mother of the year. I sure hope the award comes through.” 

Doris chuckled and shook her head at what she perceived as Danny’s foolish antics.

“You haven’t changed a bit have you little man? I don’t know how Steve puts up with you.”

“What do you want Doris?” Danny asked placing his hands flat on the table now tiring of the silly chit chat. “Are you planning on killing me?”

Doris gave Danny a forced smile that sent a chill up his spine. It was hard to believe this ice-cold woman could be Steve’s mother – Steve who tried to save everyone and was fiercely protective of his friends and family.

“No Danny, I don’t want it to come to that if it can be avoided. I really just need to hold you in a secure place for a while until we can get the shipment off the island. After that you’ll be free to go.”

“Free to go?” Danny asked doubtfully. “You know the first place I’ll go is to Steve.”

Doris nodded regretfully.

“I’d assumed you’d already done that but it doesn’t matter anyway, the shipment is going out tonight and I’ll be leaving with it.”

“And Catherine?” Danny inquired glancing over at the pale-faced young woman.

“Well that’s up to her really. If she can convince Steve that you’re lying about her involvement with me and that she loves him, she will stay here. If she can’t she’ll have to leave the island as well,” Doris responded blandly.

Danny stared at the older woman in disgust.

“How can you do this to your own son? I always knew you were a heartless bitch but I had no idea you could do something like this to Steve. It doesn’t bother you that Cath could end up married to a man she doesn’t love only because he’s her assignment?”

Doris gave a small, regretful smile.

“Actually I think Catherine does love Steve, in her way, so I’m sure she can make him happy if she really puts an effort into it.”

Danny barked a cold laugh.

“And then what? After 16 years and maybe raising children together she’ll have to leave? Maybe she’ll pretend to die in a car accident? Will the past repeat itself?”

“Let’s just go,” pleaded Catherine worriedly. “Let’s just get away before Steve ends up coming home and finding us here. At least this way Danny can protect him from the worst of what we’ve done.”

Danny turned in his chair and gave her an incredulous look.

“Don’t kid yourself Catherine. I don’t intend to lie to Steve the way you have and his mother has. I plan to tell him exactly what you’ve done.”

“What good would that do?” the younger woman shouted almost hysterically. “He already has trust issues. Why make it worse?”

Danny shook his head in wide-eyed amazement and turned away from her once more.

“Can you even hear what you’re saying?”

Catherine began to argue again but Doris interrupted her firmly.

“Enough! We don’t have time for this. Danny, give Catherine your handcuffs. Catherine cuff his hands behind his back.

“Fuck you,” Danny replied calmly.

“Danny…” the older woman warned, “I don’t want to have to hurt you but I will.”

Danny rolled his eyes at Steve’s mother.

“Oh please. I know you’re going to kill me, just get it over with and get on your way.”

“I’m not going to kill you,” Doris insisted in growing annoyance.

“Doris why don’t you…” 

From the corner of his eye Danny saw Cath raise her arm and as he turned she smashed the gun against his head with a glancing blow that stunned him and sent a sheet of blood pouring down his face. Almost instinctively Danny grabbed her arm and twisted it causing Cath to cry out in pain and drop the weapon on the floor. Cath used her free hand to pull Danny’s hair and the action was enough to get him to loosen his hold so that she could wrench her arm away. The young woman leaned back and kicked Danny’s chair with both feet sending the blond man tumbling to the floor, his own legs tangled in those of the chair. Now on his hands and knees Danny scrabbled over the linoleum trying to reach the fallen gun before Doris could grab it. His hands met with the older woman’s as they both grabbed for the gun but Danny was just a shade faster and he snatched the weapon away from her. Scrambling to sit up, Danny threw himself backwards against the lower kitchen cupboards and aimed the gun over at Catherine who unexpectedly sat down in her chair with a thump. Danny heard the screen door slam and knew Doris was running. Danny felt woozy from the blow and had to blink rapidly to clear his vision but he held the weapon steadily on Steve’s girlfriend who seemed to have given up in defeat.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief as he heard sirens approaching the house. Kono to the rescue.

“Where is Doris?” Danny demanded hoarsely, his chest heaving and his eyes squinting from his now pounding head.

Catherine shrugged, her face a picture of misery.

“Gone.”

Danny climbed unsteadily to his feet, the gun still aimed in Catherine’s direction. Danny heard tires screeching to a stop outside the house and within seconds the front door opened with a crash and Steve barreled into the kitchen, Kono and Chin hot on his heels. The Commander stopped dead at the sight of his best friend aiming a gun at his girlfriend.

“Danny? What the fuck?” the taller man breathed in horror his hands held up, palms out as if ready to stop any bullet Danny might fire.

Danny didn’t answer immediately, turning his attention on Kono instead.

“Kono, out back. Doris is getting away.”

Without a word Kono pushed past Steve and ran out through the lanai door and out of sight.

“Doris?” Steve demanded in growing anger. “Doris is here? Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?

Danny slowly lowered the gun and leaned heavily against the countertop behind him. He looked pointedly at Catherine.

“Tell him Cath.”

The dark-haired woman raised her head to look up at her boyfriend, tears beginning to spill from her eyes.

“Steve,” she choked, “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Please, you have to believe that.”

Steve looked down at his girlfriend with a mixture of shock and apprehension.

“Cath…what are you…?”

“I work for the CIA,” she sobbed. “I have for five years.”

Danny watched in mute agony as Steve’s face drained of colour.

“You…I don’t…” Steve’s words faded away and he stood staring at Catherine in wide-eyed horror.

“Steve…” Danny began but his voice trailed off as he watched Steve’s face morph from one etched with pain and betrayal to that of the cold, hard-edged soldier Steve hadn’t been in four years.

“Chin,” Steve growled, his eyes never leaving Cath’s face. “Take Danny to the hospital.”

“Steve,” Danny tried again taking several tentative steps towards his partner. “There’s a gun shipment. She and Doris have been working together to…”

“I’ll find out what I need to know,” Steve responded still staring at Cath with a look so dark and cold that Danny’s heart leapt in fear. “She’ll tell me everything.”

“Steve please…”

“Chin!” Steve barked glancing behind him at the Hawaiian detective who was still standing in the kitchen doorway. Steve grabbed Cath by the bicep and pulled her roughly to her feet. “Take Danny to the hospital. Now!”

**********

Danny walked slowly into the waiting room to find a visibly angry Chin and a visibly worried Kono sitting in the chairs. Kono leapt to her feet the moment she saw Danny and hurried over to him.

“Doris? The shipment?” Danny inquired worried that both had been lost

“Grover and the SWAT team are raiding the warehouse as we speak,” Kono replied. “Cath told Steve the location.” The young officer ran one hand over her face and sighed. “But I lost Doris. I have an APB out for her and I’ve alerted all of the airports and marina’s but so far no luck.”

Danny’s shoulders slumped. If he knew Doris she’d found a way to slip off the island leaving a trail of devastation in her wake as always. Danny huffed angrily then looked over Kono’s shoulder at Chin. The older detective stood ramrod straight, his arms crossed tightly on his chest. Danny had rarely seen the usually implacable man angry but rage was rolling off the Hawaiian in waves.

Danny licked his lips nervously and walked over to his friend.

“Chin I need to explain.”

“You sure as hell do Danny,” the older man snapped back. “What the fuck have you and Kono been doing behind our backs? How dare you keep all of this to yourselves? We’re a team goddamn it! You have no right…”

Danny lifted both hands in supplication.

“Chin please, I know you’re angry and I don’t blame you but I needed to be sure of my facts before I brought the information about Cath and Doris to you and to Steve.”

Chin tightened his jaw and hissed through his teeth.

“And so you felt you could only confide in Kono.”

Danny flattened one hand over his eyes and sighed tiredly.

“I needed her help,” he responded quietly. 

“And you didn’t need mine.”

Danny flinched at the obvious feeling of betrayal in his friend’s voice. He dropped his hand away from his face and looked up at the older man.

“I needed help and I, I didn’t want to put you in the position of going against Steve. I know how loyal you are to him. Kono understands that sometimes…”

Chin put up a hand to stop Danny’s words then turned away obviously struggling to tamp down his ire.

“We’ll discuss this later,” the older man responded quietly. “Right now we have a bigger problem,” Chin turned back to glare at Danny once more. “I can’t reach Steve and I don’t know what he’s done with Catherine.”


	6. Chapter 6

Danny breathed a sigh of relief as he rounded a bend in the trail and spotted Steve and Catherine in the distance on the rocky ledge near the petroglyphs where Steve had fallen and broken his arm a couple of years ago.

After discovering Steve’s phone was off and the GPS in his truck had either been ripped out or turned off, the three Five-0 teammates searched the island for any sign of their missing leader. Finally, in desperation, Danny had decided to climb up to the petroglyphs to see if by chance Steve had brought Catherine up there. Danny thanked god his hunch was right.

The long trek in the hot afternoon sun was doing nothing for the detective’s pounding head but Danny was afraid to stop. A chill ran up his spine as he thought back to the look Steve had given Catherine back at his house. It was…murderous was the only word that popped into Danny’s head and the idea that Steve might kill Catherine, as preposterous as it was, had Danny hurrying his steps. 

As the detective approached the rocky outcropping, he saw Catherine, handcuffed and disheveled, slumped near the edge of the cliff. Her clothes were ripped and filthy and her sweaty hair was matted to her forehead. But Danny was relieved to see that she appeared uninjured. 

Danny looked over at Steve who was as yet unaware of his presence – further proof of his partner’s emotional state. As Danny slowly approached, he watched Steve pace robotically back and forth in front of Catherine. Even from a distance Danny could see his partner was wild-eyed and sweating, his gun gripped tightly in his hands and his other hand running spasmodically through his hair. Realizing the danger he faced if he surprised the SEAL, Danny purposely kicked at several rocks on the trail causing the Commander to swivel around and point his gun directly at Danny’s chest. The taller man’s eyes widened in surprise before his face twisted in rage.

“Get away Danny! I don’t want you here. I don’t want any witnesses. Go back down the mountain.”

The strangled, almost hysterical shout caused Danny’s stomach to sour. Steve was one of the most controlled, emotionally locked-down people he’d ever known but everyone had their breaking point and Catherine’s betrayal was obviously his.

“Witness to what Steve?” Danny asked softly, still approaching the ledge. “What are we doing here?” He spared a glance for Catherine who looked up at him in fear but remained silent. Danny looked back at Steve who still had the gun pointing at his chest.

“Can you lower the gun please babe? We don’t want any accidents.”

Steve licked his lips nervously as his eyes darted to Catherine and back to Danny.

“I don’t want her to get away. I need to interrogate her. She needs to tell me everything. I need to know what she knows and what secrets she’s shared with others.”

Danny nodded quickly as he stopped about 10 feet from his partner.

“Yes, you’re right Steve. We do have to interrogate her but not here. We need to take her back to Five-0.”

Steve shook his head wildly swinging the gun between Catherine and Danny.

“No! Her information is top secret. No one else can know,” Steve yelled, his emotions only barely in control. “It’s me she betrayed. It’s me she’ll answer to.”

“And then what?” Danny demanded. “You’ll kill her? Push her over the edge? Will you have to kill me too to keep me quiet?”

Steve blinked rapidly as he visibly fought an internal battle with himself. It was obvious that he hadn’t thought his plan through – merely acted on instinct. The smaller man breathed a sigh of relief as the SEAL lowered his gun slowly to the ground.

“I…I don’t know,” Steve responded hoarsely.

Danny chewed on his bottom lip for a moment as he regarded his friend closely. Steve was on an emotional knife edge and Danny knew he had to be careful not to make the situation worse.

“Steve,” the smaller man began gently. “What you’re doing, it isn’t right. You’re not this kind of man. You’re a good person. You don’t kill people in cold blood. That’s not who you are.”

Steve barked a humourless laugh.

“Not that kind of man?” The SEAL all but shrieked. “That’s exactly the kind of man I am. The kind of man the Navy trained me to be. A cold-blooded killer.” 

Steve began wildly pacing the ledge again, often drawing too close to the edge for Danny’s comfort. “Who am I Danny? I’m the man people lie to. People I love and trust. They lie to me and stab me in the back. I can’t trust anyone. I know that now. No one can be trusted and I’m better off alone.”

Danny raised his hands and waved them slightly.

“That’s not true Steve. You can trust us. Chin and Kono and Grace and me and…”

“Not you!” Steve shouted again, gesturing with his gun hand at Danny. The detective could only pray the safety was on. “You’ve lied to me too. How long have you known about this Danny? How long have you kept this from me?”

“Steve listen…”

“How long Danny?”

The detective dropped his hands limply to his side and looked over at his friend sadly.

“A few days,” he whispered.

Steve gave a feral smile and nodded rapidly as if Danny had just proven his point.

“A few days. For days you’ve kept this from me. Lied to me. Made a fool of me!”

That was it for Danny. Suddenly he felt his own anger boil over and he stomped over to Steve grabbing the taller man by the biceps and shaking him violently. Oddly enough, the SEAL made no attempt to pull away.

“You listen to me goddamn it!” Danny shouted. “I kept it from you because I wasn’t sure what was going on at first. I wanted to be sure of my facts before I dumped all of this on you. As soon as I knew what was happening I’d planned to tell you but I went to your house to try to convince Catherine to be honest with you. That’s when Doris pulled the gun on me.”

Steve snorted in disbelief and looked away but still didn’t try to pull out of Danny’s grip.

“I wasn’t trying to make a fool of you Steven,” Danny continued forcefully. “I knew what this would do to you when you found out so I did some investigating on my own before I came to you. That’s all! Don’t put me in the same league as her!” Danny gestured angrily over to Catherine who sat slumped on the ground, eyes closed and tears slowly trickling down her face. 

Danny shook Steve again, this time more gently.

“I would never betray you Steve. I have never betrayed you. Maybe I handled this wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have kept anything from you but that doesn’t mean you can’t trust me and it sure as fuck doesn’t mean you’re alone.”

As Danny watched the rage and despair seem to wash out of Steve leaving a quivering, pale-faced shell behind. Steve slumped visibly and Danny slid his hands down his friend’s arms and carefully pulled the gun from Steve’s hand. The SEAL tore his eyes away from Danny and stared over at the woman who had been his lover and friend for so many years.

“Why Cath?” he asked in a strangled voice.

The dark-haired woman looked up at him remorsefully. Her face was pale and sweaty, her make-up smeared.

“They offered me a chance to do more than just monitor satellites for the Navy,” she replied hoarsely. “They talked about duty and country and keeping us safe from our enemies. I bought it hook, line and sinker. It was only after I joined up they told me that you were my assignment.”

Danny watched in agony as Steve’s bottom lip began to quiver and the SEAL had to turn his face away from Catherine.

“Take her,” he whispered to Danny. “Take her down and book her.”

Danny squeezed Steve’s arm with his free hand.

“You come too, babe. We’ll work this out together. I promise.”

Steve looked over at Danny and examined him for a moment. Danny’s heart broke at the pooling tears in his partner’s eyes.

“I need…I need to be alone for a while. I need to think.” Steve’s voice was dry and brittle.

“Babe…”

“Just go!” Steve barked suddenly wrenching his arm away from Danny’s hand as he turned his back on his friend. “I’m not going to jump if that’s what you’re worried about. I need to think and I need you out of my sight.”

Danny felt his throat tighten with emotion.

“Steve….”

“Go, goddamn it!” Steve yelled.

**********

Danny sunk bonelessly onto his living room couch as he read the text:

Danny. Going away for a while. Chin knows where I am. Don’t try to find me. I need time. I need to think.

After staring at the screen for a few moments, Danny dialed Chin’s number and waiting nervously for the other man to answer.

“Danny.”

“Is he ok?”

“No, not really.”

“He shouldn’t be alone.”

“It’s what he wants Danny. Just leave it.”

“Chin…I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“---“

“Chin…please…”

“I know. I know you wouldn’t purposely do anything to hurt Steve, or me. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt though. I’ll get over it but Steve…?”

“Oh god.”

“Danny, for what it’s worth, when I dropped Steve off I told him I would have done the same thing as you did. I would have waited until I had all the facts before I told him too.”

“Thanks. Thanks Chin.”

 

**********

Six weeks. Six weeks of worry and fear and emptiness. Six weeks where Danny couldn’t be sure if Steve was alive or dead. Was coming home or not. Six weeks of not knowing if he would ever again set eyes on the man he loved, and the friend he needed. By week five Danny pleaded with Chin to tell him where Steve was but the older Hawaiian officer merely shook his head.

“I promised Danny. I won’t tell you.”

 

For most of that time Danny thought he was the only one besides Grace suffering at the lack of Steve’s presence in their lives. That was until he found Kono in the stationary storage room one Tuesday morning. Tough, ass-kicking Kono was sitting on a box of A5 paper sobbing helplessly. Danny sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

“We should have told him,” the young woman sobbed against his shoulder. “We should never have kept anything from him.”

Danny used the thumb of one hand to wipe the tears from her face.

“Do you really thing that would have made it easier for him?”

**********

Chin pushed open Danny’s office door and the detective sat up straight at the stormy look on the Hawaiian man’s face.

“Cath is gone.”

Danny felt the blood drain from his face and he climbed unsteadily to his feet.

“What? What are you talking about she’s in jail.”

Chin shook his head and clamped his hands tightly on his hips.

“Some official from the US government showed up at the jail last night with a stack of papers signed by a judge ordering her release. They let her walk out with him.”

“What the fuck?” Danny shouted. “She was involved in a gun smuggling ring. They can’t just let her walk.”

Chin shook his head and chuckled humourlessly.

“But they did though. Should have expected it I suppose. The CIA was never going to let her stand trial.”

Danny sank back down in his seat and stared at Chin in horror.

“First Doris escapes and now Cath? What the hell do we tell Steve?”

Chin’s face twisted into a bitter smile.

“Actually I think Steve won’t be surprised at all. He knows these people better than we do. Knows what they’re capable of and what they’ll do to protect their secrets. I don’t think he’ll be surprised at all.”

Two nights later Danny walked into Steve’s darkened house to check it as usual and almost had a heart attack as he spotted a dark, lone figure on the beach. His heart started beating again when he recognized the tall, muscular body.

Danny slipped off his socks and shoes and pushed open the screen door and walked down the darkened beach. The lights Danny had turned on in the house cast a diffuse light over Steve and Danny was relieved to see that his partner looked healthy and unharmed.

The two men stood staring at the moonlight dappled water for several long minutes before Steve finally spoke.

“Went sailing. Around the islands.”

Danny nodded glancing up at his friend before looking back out to the ocean. Danny would usually be trying to force Steve to talk but his gut told him he needed to let his partner steer this conversation.

“I had a lot of time to think,” Steve continued. “A lot of time to wonder if I was the unluckiest person in the world or just the stupidest.”

Danny shook his head and turned to Steve placing his hand gently on Steve’s forearm.

“You’re not stupid Steve. You’re not dumb or naïve or a patsy.”

Steve glanced over at Danny and gave him a bland smile.

“Really? Then how do you explain the number of people who’ve fucked me over in my life? Nick, Joe, Governor Jameson, Cath, my mom…” Steve’s voice broke on the last name and he quickly turned away from Danny again.

“Cath fucked you over babe. That I won’t argue with but the others? What they were and what they did had nothing to do with you.”

Steve furrowed his brows together and turned back to give Danny a confused, almost angry look.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you remember what those people did to me?”

Danny let his hand drop away from Steve’s arm and he jammed his hands into his pants pockets. He licked his lips as he considered how to answer.

“Babe, your mom was in the CIA and tangled with Wo Fat’s dad long before you were born. And Joe became a part of it when you were a teenager. Same with Governor Jameson. And Nick? He was a crook babe. He sold his soul for money. That didn’t have anything to do with you. Do you have a strange and messed up family? Definitely. But that’s nothing to do with you. You’re just caught in the middle of their shit and trying to clean up the mess.”

Steve stared at Danny for a moment as if trying to decide if the detective was full of shit or maybe had a small point. Danny’s heart swelled at the small smile that quirked at the side of Steve’s mouth.

“You got an answer for everything don’t you Danno?”

Danny smiled happily for the first time in over a month.

“Absolutely babe. I’m a brilliant man.”

Steve snorted then turned back to face the ocean again.

“You have your moments.”

Danny’s smile faded as he nervously examined his friend’s face.

“What about us babe. Are we ok?”

Steve took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He cocked his head to the beach chairs and Danny followed him reluctantly and sat down. He had a feeling this was the point where Steve told him he didn’t want to be friends anymore and Danny should get the hell out of Five-0. Danny sat on the edge of his chair, his hands clasped tightly in his lap as he watched Steve obviously contemplating what he was going to say.

“One of the things I thought a lot about on my trip was you,” Steve began quietly. “At first I was enraged with you, and Kono, for working behind my back, for not letting me into what was going on…”

“Babe…” Danny began but Steve put up one hand to stop him. Danny slumped down into the seat feeling defeated.

“Chin told me that he would have done the same thing as you and I almost punched him for saying that but during my sail I realized I probably would have too if our positions had been reversed.”

Danny blinked rapidly as a small germ of hope began to bloom in his chest. He began gnawing his bottom lip as he watched Steve carefully.

Steve huffed out an ironic laugh.

“Strangely enough, after I got over my anger with you I expected to feel an overwhelming sense of loss and betrayal about Catherine. But I didn’t. Betrayal yes but not loss which surprised the hell out of me.”

Danny frowned at the strange admission.

“What do you mean?”

Steve turned his head to look at Danny.

“I thought I was in love with Cath. I thought we’d probably spend our lives together and raise children in this house,” he motioned over his shoulder at the building. “When she came to live in Hawaii permanently I guess I figured that I had no choice but to do the right thing. I suppose I felt obligated to make it permanent given how dedicated she’d always been to me,” Steve snorted at the last words remembering most of her dedication was because he was her assignment.

“But the truth was…” the SEAL continued as he shifted his body to face Danny fully. “The truth was she wasn’t the one I wanted. I realized that on my sailing trip. She was never the one I wanted. For the past four years I’ve wanted someone else but I never had the courage to admit it.”

Steve reached out and laid his hands over Danny’s still tightly entwined fingers.

“It was you I wanted Danny. It’s always been you.”

Danny swallowed hard and blinked at Steve feeling a weird mixture of hope and caution.

“You…you want me?”

Steve smiled and nodded.

“I’m sorry I never told you before. I’m sorry I never acted on my feelings. Like so many times in my life I let my feelings of duty and responsibility cloud my judgement. I hope you’ll forgive me Danny and, if you want it, I hope you’ll give us a chance.”

Danny licked his suddenly parched lips as he stared at the man he’d been dreaming of for so long. For the first time in his life, Danny Williams couldn’t think of anything to say. Steve apparently saw his struggle and he stood up to come and kneel in the sand in front of Danny. He pulled Danny’s hands apart gently then wrapped them in his own.

“Danny, I know this is a lot to take in and I know I have some healing to do before we can begin a relationship. But I want you to know I love you and I trust you and I want to be a family with you and Grace – if you want that.”

Danny pulled his lips in between his teeth and stared at Steve for a moment as he struggled to get his emotions under control.

“If I want that?” Danny gave a small laugh as he blinked back tears. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Steve grinned happily and leaned forward to brush his lips tenderly over Danny’s. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, more of a promise and it was everything Danny dreamed it would be.

The detective freed one of his hands from Steve’s grip and wrapped it around the base of his partner’s neck. He examined Steve’s face carefully looking for any sign of uncertainly.

“You’re sure babe?”

Steve leaned in for another kiss, this one a bit more forceful, before he sat back and smiled at Danny again.

“For the first time in a long time Danno, I’ve never been more certain.”

 

The end.


End file.
